Red and Green
Storytelling stuff worth sharing
OK seriously this will be my last mention of the phenomenal HBO/Max series SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE. I swear I’m not getting kickbacks!
The series finale aired last Sunday, and I mention it because there was a massively huge lightning bolt moment!
You’ll recall last week I wrote at length about the subtle and powerful presence of lightning bolts throughout the show as a glorious example of storytelling in 3D. And wowie zowie did this final lightning bolt moment pay off in a massive way. So of course I had to peer pressure you one final time into checking it out.
Don’t go straight to the finale. Watch the whole series and enjoy the bolts along the way.
Storytelling Tip o’ the Week
My beloved Rebecca and I have a handful of shows and movies we watch every holiday season. Without fail we get in a viewing (or two) of the Ted Lasso Christmas episode. And we cackle like kiddies through Home Alone and Home Alone 2.
Last year while watching Home Alone, I had one of those “how the heck did I only just notice this NOW??” moments. And this year, after writing about all these storytelling tips—and especially writing about storytelling in 3D—I simply have to share this observation with you, even though there’s a chance this could ruin your own future viewings of Home Alone, because once you see this detail you won’t be able to unsee it. Apologies in advance.
So Home Alone is a quintessential holiday film, right? And sure, the dialogue and plot and music all support its intrinsic holiday-ness. But you know what makes it extra-super-spicy-Christmas-y?
The scenic, costume, and prop design. The storytelling in 3D.
See, there is red and green EVERYWHERE. The two primary Christmas colors absolutely dominate the visuals. Almost every frame bathes us in red, and green, and more red, and more green.
Start with the house. The carpet is red. The wallpaper is green or a green/red pattern. The bedspread is red. The kitchen has a dark red floor and dark red cabinets and bright red curtains while the counters are dark green tile. There’s a red bowl of chex mix sitting on a green saucer. There’s a red kettle on the stove. The hanging pots and pans are coated in red enamel.
The family—sans Kevin back in Chicago—are hanging out in that apartment in France. Those Parisian walls? Also green. All the kids? Wearing red coats or green sweaters. Heck, the snack that cheapskate Uncle Frank brings in? Not macaroons. Not cheese and crackers. It’s shrimp cocktail. A plate covered in bright green lettuce with a glass bowl of bright red sauce.
Toothbrushes. Kevin’s brother while packing grabs his toothbrush and slips it into his pocket. First, that’s gross. Second, it’s green. Kevin goes to buy a toothbrush at the drug store. It’s red. Back in the bathroom, as he looks in the mirror post-shower and pre-iconic-aftershave-scream, he’s wrapped in a green towel. In fact, all the towels are green, as are all the bottles and canisters of creams and soaps sitting on the tub. Even the toothpaste on the counter is Aquafresh, in a green tube.
The pizza delivery dude. He works at “Little Nero’s.” Feels like a gimme, right? Pizza is Italian. Red and green are in the Italian flag. So his logo-splashed jacket and hat sport red and green. But check it out. The delivery dude drives a late-model hatchback. That car could have been any color. But you know what color the director and design team chose? Yep. RED.
The electric company worker fixing the power lines as the family climbs into the airport vans? He wears a bright green hardhat.
As the family sprints through the airport, pause the movie. Look at the walls of the airport. Totally green.
Candles on the table? Green. Mom’s leather gloves? Green. A random piece of clothing hanging on the back of a desk chair in Buzz’s bedroom? Green.
Even the extras in the background are wrapped in red and green scarves and hats. Remember the cop whose donut sticks to the phone as he talks to Kevin’s mom? Look at the two office workers behind him. One is dressed entirely in red. The other is dressed entirely in green.
None of this is happenstance or merely a matter of the story being set at Christmastime. A certain amount of red and green in clothing and set dressing is to be expected. But these characters live in a world unnaturally saturated by red and green. Objects and locations that have no business being red and green are awash with red and green.
This is an intentional design choice. It is not accidental. It is a subconscious way to drive home the essential Christmasness of the experience.
Heck, even the actors themselves. Kevin’s eyes? Hazel. Mom’s hair? Red. Did they both audition well? Of course. Were these physical characteristics just a bit of casting luck? I guarantee not. In fact, that whole McCallister family? You never saw so many close-ups of green eyes and red hair this side of Riverdance. Even the scary-but-ultimately-kind neighbor’s granddaughter? A red-head. Her red hair is in fact her defining characterstic in grandpa’s dialogue.
The red and green never stop. They are inescapable. They cast a continuous Christmas spell without exposition.
But now check this out: a bonus of this non-stop background of red and green? You can then play against it!
The bumbling burglars drive a van. Again, that van could have been any color. But you remember what color the director and design team chose? BLUE. Because blue does not belong. Blue is wrong. Blue is the anti-Christmas in this setting. Blue ensures we know they are the villains. And if the blue van wasn’t clue enough, Marv and Harry also dress in grays, browns, and blacks (though to be fair Marv does sport red socks).
You may not be a visual storyteller. Maybe you’re writing your story, or speaking it. But you can still leverage the power of red and green (and lightning bolts!). You can access three-dimensional and visceral details to pull your readers or listeners deeper and deeper into the experience of your story without them even realizing it.
A quick closing word of warning: do not turn this into a drinking game, taking a shot whenever red or green pops up during Home Alone. You’ll be obliterated ten minutes in.
Quotable
Since we’re jamming on Home Alone, how about a quick quote from Daniel Stern, who played “Marv.”
Fun facts! Daniel Stern is also a visual artist, screenwriter, and skilled blues harmonica player.
And quite fittingly, for all the physical travails (and vocal gymnastics!) of his character in both Home Alones, he says…
Strength is not in avoiding pain, but in enduring it.
The Page&Stage Podcast: Courting Serendipity
The next episode drops on Monday and features award-winning author and academic Deborah Pike. We talk about her debut novel, The Players, and she traces her journey from Australia to Paris, explaining how her traits as an author were nurtured through her experiences in diverse environments. Deb emphasizes that travel stimulates an author's creativity by opening them to new experiences and evokes a child-like curiosity which ultimately helps in character creation and storytelling.
Thanks as always for reading, and have a great weekend!
Jason “Spicy Christmas” Cannon